THE HILL | Cornelious Brown IV had a huge night, scoring five total touchdowns as the Alabama A&M University football team outlasted Alcorn State, 41-31, in the 15^th Annual Louis Crews Classic on Saturday night inside Louis Crews Stadium.
 
Brown was 25 of 34 passing for 260 yards and three touchdowns through the air, while adding seven carries for 69 yards and a pair of scores.
 
Alabama A&M (1-1) saw its opening drive stall and was forced to punt. On the 45-yard punt by Robert Cole, Kaden Dixon forced a fumble by Omarion Blakes and the Bulldogs wasted little time cashing in the turnover.
 
Four plays after the fumble, Brown found Jordan Chambers-Smith for a 19-yard touchdown, giving AAMU a 7-0 lead with 12:21 remaining in the first quarter.
 
Alcorn State (0-2) answered on its first drive of the night, going 65 yards in seven plays, with Reggie Davis scored on a two-yard run, tying the game at 7 with 9:40 left.
 
Back came the Bulldogs on their next drive. Brown scrambled 34 yards on third down to keep the drive going. Four plays later, Brown connected with Daveon Walker for 18 yards, capping a 7-play, 75-drive as AAMU took a 14-7 advantage with 6:52 remaining. 
 
The Braves responded quickly as Jacorian Sewell busted free down the left sideline for an 80-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14-14 with just over six minutes to play in the quarter.
 
The Maroon & White answered as Brown used his legs, scoring on a seven-yard keeper to close out a 10-play, 77-yard drive as the Bulldogs grabbed a 21-14 lead with 2:43 left.
 
AAMU's defense bent but didn't break, stopping the Braves on fourth down early in the second quarter and the Bulldogs' offense went right back to work as Brown connected with Franck Pierre for 43 yards, setting up an 8-yard quarterback keeper as Alabama A&M extended the lead to 28-14 with 8:22 remaining in the first half.
 
Alcorn State trimmed the deficit to 28-17 with 1:09 left in the second quarter as Grandin Willcox booted a 40-yard field.
 
After forcing Alcorn State to punt the ball on its first possession of the second half, Alabama A&M went 69 yards in 11 plays as Brown tossed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Travaunta Abner as the Bulldogs stretched their lead to 35-17 with 9:44 remaining in the third.
 
However, the Braves quickly answered, taking just under two minutes off the clock as Davis scored on a 20-yard touchdown run, closing the gap to 35-24 with 7:49 left.
 
Alcorn State continued to battle back, as the Braves converted a 4^th and 6 from the AAMU 33 and four plays later Jaylon Tolbert hit Jarvis Rush in the back of the endzone, closing the gap to 35-31 with 10:30 remaining.
 
The Braves had an opportunity for one final drive, but the Bulldog defense stood tall on fourth down as Alabama A&M took over at the Alcorn State 23 with 2:46 left.
 
AAMU closed out the scoring with 19 seconds left as Maurice Edwards scored on a 2-yard touchdown run, giving Alabama A&M the 41-31 victory.
 
CHECKING THE BOX SCORE

• Alabama A&M finished with 452 total yards, including 260 through the air
• The Bulldogs racked up 23 first downs
• Cornelious Brown IV went 25-of-34 passing for 260 yards and three touchdowns
• Brown also rushed seven times for 69 yards and two scores
• Maurice Edwards gained 80 yards on 21 carries and one score
• Daveon Walker caught six passes for 78 yards and one touchdown 
• Franck Pierre added six catches for 60 yards
• Nick Glenn registered nine tackles, with two solo stops
• Keon Handley Jr. posted eight tackles, including four solo stops and a pair of tackles for loss
• Alcorn State finished with 354 total yards, including 186 on the ground
• The Braves recorded 20 first downs
• Jaylon Tolbert was 23-of-33 passing for 168 yards and one score
• Jacorian Sewell carried the ball 12 times for 115 yards and one touchdown
• Reggie Davis had 51 yards on 12 touches and two scores
• Jarvis Rush caught seven passes for 53 yards
• TB Hinton tallied 11 total tackles
• Stemarion Edwards posted 10 tackles and half a tackle for loss

 
NEWS & NOTES

• Alabama A&M and Alcorn State met for the 25^th time
• The Bulldogs improved to 14-11 all-time versus the Braves
• AAMU is now 11-4 all-time in the Louis Crews Classic 
• Saturday's attendance was 15,147 at Louis Crews Stadium
• Alabama A&M has now won two straight over Alcorn State, dating back to the Spring of 2021
• The Bulldogs were a perfect 6-of-6 in red-zone chances
• Both teams turned the ball over once, with AAMU cashing in for seven points

 
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M returns to action next Saturday (Sept. 13) as the Bulldogs visit Tennessee State in the inaugural Legacy Series at Nisaan Stadium. This will be the 24^th meeting between the two programs, separated by just over 120 miles. Kickoff against the Tigers is set for 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN+. 
 
For complete coverage of Alabama A&M Athletics – Huntsville's only Division I program - check out the official homepage at www.aamusports.com. Remember to follow us on social media: Instagram (@aamuathletics), Facebook (aamubulldogathletics), Twitter (@_aamuathletics) and TikTok (aamuathletics).
  Read Full Article